Home from Scotland: Very Very Very Dark Brown is the New Black

Happy Halloween! Two posts today!

The only thing I knit on this trip were my mitts out of the naturally black alpaca from Oxbow Orchard, to match my beanie and cowl. Here is the set together!

I got a lot of wear out of these in Scotland. As much as I love to knit colorful garments and accessories, most of the time I like wearing neutral ones, especially gray and black. Though Bob says these are brown, and I guess they are a very, very, very dark brown, or a warm black.

I didn’t use a pattern for any of these. I made simple things I knew I would enjoy wearing.

We had a wonderful trip. Two weeks is a long holiday, but we needed it. And we wanted to see as much of Scotland as we could.

Here is a pic of my treasures from Scotland all together, excluding gifts.

Yarn from Shilasdair (to make a stripey vest), fabric from Skye Weavers (to make a skirt), scent from Solid Cologne Project, little houses from the local makers’ market in Edinburgh, and wool tartan scarf.

Scotland, October 14: Lucky 13 in Edinburgh!

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary!

We started the day by hitting a yarn shop, and An Independent Zebra, which is a local makers’ shop. We walked around Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery, then made our way to Forbidden Planet, a comic and game shop.

We were getting tired of walking by this point. We went back to the BnB and took a nap for an hour. Then we got all gussied up and headed to The Witchery for a special anniversary lunch. The food and the atmosphere were fantastic!

Deciding we didn’t want to walk all the way back to the BnB, only to return later for the Haunted Edinburgh Underground Tour, we toodled around the Royal Mile one last time.

We visited the Witches’ Well. We also saw a “busker” (we saw several, mostly bagpipers) but she sang traditional Scottish songs while spinning. I really enjoyed this.

We finished the day “underground” on the Haunted Edinburgh tour.

We did go underground for a bit to see the Vaults, then to Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery to learn about Bloody MacKenzie, and finally to Market Square, where people were publicly punished in the 18th century. Gruesome tales and lots of fun!

Bob gave me this beautiful ring for our anniversary, which is silver and “orrock diamond,” a Scottish quartz from Two Skies.

An unforgettable anniversary!

Scotland, October 13: Uber Saves the Day, Twice!

We left the Knockendarrach Hotel in Pitlochry by car. Looking for things to do along the road to Edinburgh, we stopped for a walk along the Witches Road in Abernethy.

We met another cat, and I tried Hawthorn berries for the first time. We had a nice view of the Abernethy Glen. It was a lovely walk, which we found on the Walk Highlands app.

After that, we detoured for a view of Lochleven Castle, significant in the life of Mary Queen of Scots. It was foggy, and we didn’t have much of a view. But no time to buy tickets for a boat trip to the castle.

We were running out of time as we had to drop the car off by 5pm. (Bob had become a pro at driving our Mercedes Benz SUV, a much fancier car than we are used to. In fact, we felt quite posh the entire trip.)

We skipped a trip to Stirling Castle in favor of Doune, another castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It’s the taunting castle and Castle Anthrax! We walked around the castle quoting lines from the film. We couldn’t help ourselves.

The rest of the drive to Edinburgh was punctuated by a view of Stirling Castle and the Kelpies. We made it to the car center with time to spare.

I prepared a lot before our trip. I put everything on our calendar, including addresses, and ideas of places to visit in each location. I downloaded apps, too, like Walk Highlands, and the City Cab app for Edinburgh.

We needed a cab from the hire car center to our BnB. I tried using the app, but it could never find a driver. Uber came up as option on Google. I don’t usually choose Uber, as I prefer Lyft in the states. But I do have an Uber account, so I chose our ride and crossed my fingers. Our ride showed up in a few minutes, it was cheaper than a cab, and cheaper than a train or bus ride! I left our driver a tip, of course.

Once settled into the BnB, we headed to my choice for dinner, Makar’s Mash. It’s a mash potato bar with lots of gluten-free options. I wanted to try cranachan, and they had a gluten-free version on their menu! We walked very quickly to the restaurant only to find there was a two hour wait! And apparently, that’s common. Well, someone was about to get hangry (me) so I pulled up the Uber Eats app and ordered burgers and fries for us. It should arrive at our BnB about the same time we did.

It was a little later, but the burgers were amazing! In fact, all the food has been good, and we’ve had no trouble finding gluten-free options.

Scotland, October 12: in Search of Fairies, Found Reindeer

Today we drove from Dingwall to Pitlochry. We stopped at Cairngorms National Park. Having missed out on the Fairy Glen and Fairy Pools on Skye, we were hoping to see the Green Loch. Fairies are elusive. Google maps would tell us to go one way, then another way. Maybe we wanted to meet fairies, but they did not want to meet us.

We happened upon the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre! I told Bob life would not be worth living if I didn’t get to meet a reindeer. (Finland is on my bucket list, but I’m lucky to make it to Scotland.) We bought tickets to the museum and paddocks. Several reindeer come down so visitors can absorb the reindeer goodness, while the rest of the herd (over 100) live up on the hill. We met two young ones as well.

When I asked if I could pet a reindeer, I was told very kindly, “We don’t pet them.” I met real reindeer. I MET REAL REINDEER! You can learn more about the center at this link.

Still on my reindeer high, we walked the beach path at Lake Morlich. The views of the Cairngorms were beautiful. We continued our drive to Pitlochry, and arrived at the hotel in time for a nap before dinner. We had a reservation at the hotel restaurant, and it was probably the fanciest dinner I have ever eaten: canapés, wood pigeon starter, beef main, and lemon posset for dessert. Delicious and totally worth it.

We did not go to the high street in Pitlochry as it was full of people, and I was shopped out. We had everything we wanted at the hotel. Two more days in Scotland!

More notes:

Every place we have stayed has towel warmers in the bathroom.

Tea is better in Scotland. I may become a tea person, if I can figure out how to make it properly.

Tea kettles in Scotland, and presumably in the UK in general, make the water HOT!!! Americans are coddled. Of course, someone sued McDonald’s for coffee that was too hot, so maybe that’s why.

We noticed a trend of less guard rails and driving restrictions in Scotland, as well. Here’s a hairpin turn! The speed limit on this single track road is 60 MPH! More signage, though. Pretty sure the signs are for tourists.

Scotland, October 11: Nessie!

Today we took a boat tour around Loch Ness. We visited Urquhart Castle as well. It was pretty great. I am running out of words.

I did not see Nessie. Bob asked me if I wanted to touch the water in Loch Ness. I told him that was a bad idea. There would be a sonic boom. Then Nessie would surface, and I would climb on her back, turn into a Selkie, and we (Nessie and I) would swim away together, never seeing Bob again. I didn’t want that. Did Bob want that? Bob isn’t worried. He has hidden my selkie skin.

We returned to our castle and took a nap. Then we took a nice, long hike with Liz and Alistair, stopping to see Liz’s house and greenhouse along the way.

After the hike, I took a bath in this copper tub at our castle! (I’m going to keep saying that.) Then we had another lovely dinner.

I was so glad Liz and Alistair were able to spend time with us while we are here.

Reblog! Mighty Boosh Shoes Part Three: The Rest of the Nonsense

The Crafty Yarnster made a pair of Mighty Boosh shoes! I’m a fan!

This is very much a non-knitting post. Be aware that I’m about to properly nerd out over a craft project and get right into the weeds of detail. So …

Mighty Boosh Shoes Part Three: The Rest of the Nonsense

Scotland, October 10: We’re in a Castle!

On this day, we picked up the rental car. Bob drove and I navigated. We both took Rescue Remedy. Bob did great.

We drove to Clava Cairns, and then toured around Loch Ness to Glen Affric. We walked up to the viewpoint. Even with single-track roads, Bob declared the view worth it.

We drove to Black Isle, and stopped at the Groam House Museum to see the Pictish stones. We continued to Cromarty at the end of the peninsula, and then headed to Tulloch Castle, where we are staying.

Liz and her husband met us for a wonderful dinner at the castle. They were able to make everything we wanted gluten-free, including the sticky toffee pudding!

We are staying in the Oak Suite. It’s a gorgeous room with a beautiful view.

Scotland, October 9: Inverness Town

Inverness Castle closed, we visited the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, where we saw Pictish stones. We went to the Victorian Market and picked up a few handmade in Scotland gifts from Triquerta Crafts.

We also made a trip to Prickly Thistle / Rebel Row, where they weave the Witch’s Tartan. This was a lovely shop with handwoven tartan clothing. I couldn’t afford anything, but it was still tough walking away from the gorgeous kilts, trousers, and capes.

We ate a delicious lunch at Rendezvous Cafe, where they play Laurel and Hardy films all day. We had cinnamon CBD tea, pea and ham soup, chips, and gluten-free carrot cake. We loved the vibe of the place.

We have both been a little tired, so an early dinner of pizza in, catching up on our shows, and a binge watch of BBC Ghosts, which we have seen several times. We are staying in an old Victorian on the River Ness with a lovely view.

Scotland, October 8:

We spent most of this day on the train from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness. I napped when I could. We found our hotel with no trouble, right next to the River Ness. I needed a reset. We had Indian food for dinner and went to bed early.

I developed a blue-ribbon cold sore on this day. I thought it was due to stress, but in hindsight I think I was sick.

Notes:

Scottish baked beans are more tomatoey and less sweet than American. I like them.

Washcloths in Scotland accommodations have been hit or miss. They were in our Edinburgh hotel room and Skye BnB, but nowhere else. When I asked for one at our Oban BnB, I got a strange look. No, they didn’t have washcloths. Then I used the lobby bathroom and found a basket of washcloths for drying hands, so I must be using the wrong terminology.

Gulls here are the size of chickens.

Scotland, October 7: Skye

We spent the day on a car tour around the Isle of Skye. Our driver and tour guide, Kev, was delightful. Our BnB was delightful. The weather cooperated and was mostly delightful.

We saw the Cuillen Mountains.

We visited Duntulm, a castle ruin, haunted.

We stopped to see The Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, Lealt Falls, Quiraing, and Neist Point, which was the point furthest west you can drive in the UK. The landscape was, of course, stunning. I wish we’d had time to do more walking, but it was a whirlwind tour. You could spend a month on Skye.

My favorite stops were Shilasdair Yarn and Skye Weavers. I purchased plant-dyed skeins at Shilasdair in a BFL and Masham blend.

At Skye Weavers, I got to pedal the loom, and found a meter of wool fabric to sew into a skirt!

For dinner, we stopped at the chippy for gluten-free fish and chips. I also had my first black pudding on this trip, as well as my first whisky. Two acquired tastes, I think.

Full Scottish Breakfast with Black Pudding at the BnB.

We watched the new Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 before bed. Tick that off the bucket list.

I have shared two Hozier videos now. I guess that makes me a Hozier fan.